The Effect of Listening Metacognitive Training for Different Motivation Level Students in EFL Context

Abstract

This study is a quasi-experimental study to explore the effects of listening metacognitive strategy training for students in different motivation groups. It merges previous research findings on motivation and metacognition to assess the effectiveness of a metacognitive training model in enhancing students’ capabilities and to determine if there exists a connection between the enhancement of metacognitive abilities and students’ motivational levels for foreign language learning. Eighty-nine students from two intact classes of Zhejiang Ocean University participated in the study: one class of 44 students served as the experimental group receiving metacognitive training of listening, the other class of 45 students served as the controlled class receiving the traditional instruction. The quantitative research design was employed, and two questionnaires were served as the research instruments. After a semester of teaching experiment, data analysis revealed that significant differences existed in metacognitive abilities among students in different motivation groups. Notably, students’ learning motivation exhibited a strong positive correlation with their listening metacognitive abilities. Furthermore, the metacognitive training implemented in the experimental group positively influenced students’ ability to regulate metacognitive strategies and their awareness of listening processes. Finally, the study observed variations in the enhancement of metacognitive abilities across different motivation groups. Students with moderate motivational levels demonstrated greater improvements in their metacognitive abilities compared to the other two groups. These findings provide valuable insights into the intricate relationship between motivation and the effectiveness of metacognitive strategy training in enhancing students’ language learning outcomes.